Book Review | The In Between by Olivia Pierce

BOOK REVIEW | THE IN BETWEEN BY OLIVIA PIERCE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tara Jenkins and Justin Westcroft used to be childhood BFFs. Now in high school, Justin’s a popular, all-star athlete, and Tara spends her days admiring him from afar. But when Tara saves Justin from nearly drowning in a freak accident, he’s unable to get her out of his mind. In no time at all, Tara and Justin fall deeply in love. And even though it’s only high school, they seem destined for a Happily Ever After.

Until tragedy strikes—and this time, Justin’s not so lucky. Tara passes through her days as a shell of her former self: Justin’s dead, but she can still feel his presence, and she can’t seem to let him go.

But there’s a reason for that, and it’s not just grief: Justin is In Between, and he’s still holding on.

They say that when someone saves you, you’re tied to them for life. But what about in the afterlife?

MY THOUGHTS

The In Between is a teen romance novel, but different than others I’ve read. It combines your typical teenage romance with a bit of fantasy mixed in. Not something I’m used to reading, but I gave it a shot.

I’m sure every girl has a Justin Westcroft in her life. A boy that you think could never love you because you don’t fit into his world. He’s good looking, athletic, and popular. Everything that you’re not. That’s how Tara Jenkins felt about Justin. Even though they were childhood friends, there was something different between them when she moved back to town and were in high school together. As many of us know, high school really changes you.

It isn’t until Justin nearly drowns and Tara saves him that these two finally start to connect again, but this time on a deeper level. One filled with love.

The book is split into four parts. The first follows the beginning of Tara and Justin’s relationship and how they grow as a couple. As with any high school relatioship, there’s a lot of drama between Tara and Justin’s ex girlfriend. Part one ends with a terrible accident leaving Tara alone on earth while Justin is stuck in another world.

I was a little skeptical when I started reading Part two and Justin was in some sort of purgatory. I don’t really believe in things like that, but I kept an open mind with this book. While Tara is still on earth trying to cope with her grief, Justin is trying to find a way back to her. He believes that they were meant to be together and nothing was going to keep him from her.

Part three continues much like Part two, but this is when Tara and Justin seem like they might be giving up on finding each other again. There are many things keeping them from being together and Justin finds himself in hell having to endure his worst fears. Tara, on the other hand, is starting to think she’s going insane and her actions make other’s think she’s going off the deep end.

The final part brings everything together including Tara and Justin. It’s a long journey, but they finally find a way back to each other. I wasn’t really expecting it to happen the way it did, but it was a decent ending.

I think this book provided some great perspective on life and death. Based on this storyline, life certainly continues after you have left the “human” world. If you’re lucky you get to spend the rest of your days with the ones you love.

Overall, I believe this was a great book. It wasn’t the best love story I’ve read, but I certainly felt connected to Tara. I would recommend this book to readers who love teenage love stories as much as I do.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“It’s love that reunites us beyond the divide of life and death.”

“It’s a burst of adrenaline and then the quietest calm I’ve ever felt. It’s a threshold, and on the other side, my love for him becomes more cemented than ever. That love feels like a tangible part of me now, coiling through neural pathways, pumping in my veins.”